This invention relates generally to the communication equipment connector arts and more particularly to communication line plug couplers, such as telephone jacks.
Currently, multiline equipment panels are manufactured which provide a network interface for a plurality of customer service lines. These multiline equipment panels are used in apartment buildings, office complexes and other high density phone installations. Typically, a customer line from within the building terminates in an RJ11 type telephone plug. This plug interfaces to the network interface terminal, providing a demarcation point between customer equipment and service provider equipment. This proves useful for testing individual customer lines in the event of a problem by permitting a service person to isolate the source of the problem.
From the network interface terminal, the individual customer line is continued to a line protector/arrester to protect the line from overvoltage or undercurrent.
This link of the customer line terminates at the network interface typically in a prewired coupler which is formed with a RJ11 plug receptacle. The prewired coupler is prewired with conductive prongs which mate with spades mounted within the RJ11 plug to provide a conductive path.
In a multiline network interface, the prewired couplers are mounted to a bar using fasteners and the bar, including prewired couplers, is mounted to a panel having a corresponding number of apertures formed therethrough to receive the ends of the prewired couplers. When installed, the RJ11 plug is merely plugged into a corresponding prewired coupler. When a problem arises, the RJ11 plug is removed from the coupler and testing is done at each end of the line; the RJ11 end, and the prewired coupler end which connects to the line protector/arrester.
A problem arises primarily in the assembly of the couplers to the panel in that each coupler must be individually mounted using fasteners thereby requiring additional labor, components, accounting and tracking associated with such components, and the additional costs incurred as a result of the additional components and labor. Further, the additional components increase the potential for component failure and the potential for error during assembly.
An additional problem arises when a coupler must be replaced in that it requires removal of the mounting bar with all of the plug couplers mounted thereto, removal of the defective coupler, and mounting a new coupler. Removal and replacement of the mounting bar with all of the couplers attached in order to replace perhaps only one defective coupler risks disturbing other couplers and their connections, which may fail when so disturbed. Further, because these multiline communication equipment panels are often mounted in hard-to-reach or confined places, it is often difficult to carry out repair operations on such small components which are individually attached using small fasteners such as the couplers to the mounting bar.